Create topics to organize and route conversations

Oct 14, 2026
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Article updated: June 22, 2026

Create topics to organize and route conversations

Topics are categories that agents can apply to conversations to help group, route, and prioritize conversations in the queue. As an admin, you can automatically apply topics to conversations (learn how to apply topics automatically). You can also create reports to view information about topic volume and usage.

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Audience: Advanced and Enterprise Inbox admins. Want more Hootsuite features? Upgrade your plan.

Create, edit, or delete topics

Before agents can apply topics, admins must create them.

Go to Nest, select Settings, select Admin settings, expand Routing and automations, and then select Topics.
To create a new topic, select Add topic, and then enter a name and description.
To edit a topic, point to a topic, and then select Edit next to the topic.

Note: Topics are global, so any changes you make apply to every conversation in every channel that includes that topic.

To delete a topic, select Delete next to the topic. Deleting a topic removes it from all channels and conversations. You'll see reporting on deleted topics, but not audit trails.

Go to Inbox, select Settings, select Admin settings, expand Routing and automations, and then select Topics.
To create a new topic, select Add topic, and then enter a name and description.
To edit a topic, point to a topic, and then select Edit next to the topic.

Note: Topics are global, so any changes you make apply to every conversation in every channel that includes that topic.

To delete a topic, select Delete next to the topic. Deleting a topic removes it from all channels and conversations. You'll see reporting on deleted topics, but not audit trails.

How agents apply topics

Agents apply topics to conversations by selecting Add Topics in the conversation header. Applied topics appear in the conversation header and remain associated with that conversation. Learn more about how to apply topics to conversations.

Example of a conversation header with Fast Food topic applied and VIP contact selected.

Route conversations using topics

To learn how to route conversations to teams using topics, see Customize message routing.

Prioritize conversations using topics

You can label existing topics as “prioritized” to place conversations with that topic higher in the queue. In Settings, expand Routing and automation, and then select Prioritization.

The more prioritized topics a conversation has, the higher its priority and the higher its place in the queue. To learn more, see Prioritize conversations.

Report on topic usage and volume

Audience: Advanced and Enterprise Inbox admins. Want more Hootsuite features? Upgrade your plan.

The Topics report provides information about topic volume and usage.

In Nest, select Track performance , and then select Exports.
Select Topics from the Export type list.
Follow the steps to build your report, and then select Generate export.

In Inbox, select Track performance , and then select Exports.
Select Topics from the Export type list.
Follow the steps to build your report, and then select Generate export.

Learn more

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Create topics to organize and route conversations

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